Clarinet Sound
The sound of the clarinet is produced by the vibrations of the single reed located/fastened to the mouthpiece, where it vibrates when air moves across the reed. When air is first blown in the clarinet, the air goes through the clarinet (blue arrows below) creating a sound. The reed is then pressed against the mouthpiece, temporarily stopping the sound before swinging back to an open position and lets air in again. This create pressure waves (in red) that goes through the clarinet, in which is key to the tone of the instrument. As a result, the sound of the clarinet greatly depends on the mouthpiece and the hardness of the reed.
Clarinet Range
The Bb Clarinet Range, both written and sound.
The ranges of the clarinets differ with the type of clarinet and the key of the clarinet. The range discussed here would be the range of the Bb clarinet.
The range of the Bb clarinet is very broad, as it extends from the E below middle C, to the A one octave higher than the A above the Treble Clef. The range of the clarinet is split into four registers, the chalumeau register, to the Throat tones, to the clarino register and finally to the high range. The range is displayed in the picture on the left.
The range of the Bb clarinet is very broad, as it extends from the E below middle C, to the A one octave higher than the A above the Treble Clef. The range of the clarinet is split into four registers, the chalumeau register, to the Throat tones, to the clarino register and finally to the high range. The range is displayed in the picture on the left.